OCTOBER 25, 1952

NEW YORK, Friday—The Freedom of Information discussion in Committee Three of the General Assembly of the United Nations yesterday morning did not advance very fast. I think everybody is waiting to hear what the United States point of view is going to be and as Mr. Sprague, the ex-governor of Oregon, was away yesterday, and he is better qualified than I to give it, I thought it was just as well to keep quiet and listen to what other people had to say.

As our committee adjourned at noon, I was able to go after lunch to meet the young junior high school children who are winners of the U.N. Day Essay Contest which theatrical producer John Golden sponsors every year. Mr. Golden, co-chairman of New York City's United Nations Day celebration, presented the prizes at ceremonies in City Hall today.

I have just received from Mr. Douglas Chandor Lord a kodachrome of his portrait of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. It is really beautiful and he tells me the Queen and all her family and friends like the portrait, which will hang in the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. Being an Englishman, though now a long-time citizen of Weatherford, Texas, he must feel a great deal of satisfaction to have painted this fine portrait.

Yesterday afternoon I also saw, at the request of General Romulo, Colonel Ferer, the national commander of the Philippine Veterans' Legion. This young man is also the head of the National Movement for Free Elections in the Philippines, an association on whose board sit representatives of 24 civic, labor, religious, and veterans' organizations in the Philippines. He was accompanied by a representative of CARE. Colonel Ferer's organization and CARE are attempting to obtain help from us in the United States for a plan the two groups are sponsoring.

They want to build 150 community centers, the purpose of which will be to stimulate community effort, to help each citizen to improve his economic productivity, to improve his home, to broaden his knowledge of his civic responsibility and to realize his own importance in the development of Philippine national life and democratic ideals."

The residents of the communities will be asked to donate labor and materials or to provide a suitable existing structure. The plan also calls for a paid director for each center.

I hope that CARE can get the necessary funds, for this seems to me a very practical undertaking which might spread to all Southeast Asia if it is successful in the Philippines.

E.R.

(WORLD COPYRIGHT, 1952, BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART PROHIBITED.)